Finally!!! Seriously…finally. I know I pushed out the release of Heavy Metal Workout II several times and you guys were probably like WTH??

Well, it’s officially released now! Actually, and some of you took advantage of this, I had a pre-release on August 4th, two weeks prior to the full release (you had the ability to pre-order the album and download track 10, ‘Attack of Quadzilla’).

Instrumental Metal Workout Music with More Aggression

As most of you know, Heavy Metal Workout II is the 2nd of an instrumental metal workout music series (hence ‘II’). The first album was released a little over a year ago (February 2016) and it has a classic heavy metal feel to it. If there’s such thing as a ‘sounds like‘ I would deem it along the lines of early Metallica with a mix of melodic hard rock (I really can’t think of any bands it sounds like!).

Heavy Metal Workout II is far more aggressive and I almost throw it in the melodic death metal category. Of course there’s no vocals, so there’s no death metal screams or growls. It’s pure instrumental metal.

My goal with HMW II was to replicate the first album with a much heavier and faster vibe. I personally think I nailed it (I’m very happy with the outcome of this album!). But I did have some help.

For solo recording artists, especially metal musicians and songwriters like myself, drums are a common challenge. I’ve handled the drums for all of my albums and released up to this point. Heavy Metal Workout II has some very fast and complex rhythm guitar work, so I knew I needed a professional drummer’s perspective here. That’s where the great Ed Aborn came to the rescue!

Ed Aborn is a producer and drummer (with several other related talents), and he did the end-to-end task that would have been close to impossible for me to do on my own. This took some time as there was a ton of work and relentless hours that went into this. And of course once I got the drum tracks from Ed, I had to go back and do several touch-ups for my guitars and bass. I go through the making of Heavy Metal Workout II in detail here.

For mastering, I continued my partnership with Mike Olson of JMO Servicing, LLC. After mastering my first two studio albums and last year’s Christmas single, he knows exactly what I’m looking for and nails it every time. Yet HMW II is probably the best mastering job to date.

Heavy Metal and Heavy Weights

It’s a marriage meant to last. Heavy metal and heavy weights. And I think it’s what many of us gym rats have been looking for. Metal workout music that’s just instrumental metal. No vocals, no slow songs, and no distractions.

I created this album series to help keep you focused, pumped, and motivated in the gym. So go download Heavy Metal Workout II and listen to the album during your next workout, and every workout thereafter!